2012 Photo Scavenger Hunt Part 3

This is part 3 of Rinda's 2012 Photo Scavenger Hunt. I found 20 of the 21 items on the list.  I had a great time looking for the items on Rinda's photo list.  Many thanks to my cousin Rinda for hosting this scavenger hunt and thanks to my family who were patient with me.  Many times I drove out of the way to get these photos with family in tow.  I know my family enjoyed playing along as I heard my husband talk about the hunt to my brother.  Click on the 2012 scavenger badge to the right to view other participating blogs and photos.

Item #5 A train.  

Items  # 6  A Historical Landmark and Item #17 A Church -   This is the first church in Houston to be built by freed slaves.  It is right smack in the middle of downtown.  I love how this small church is just nestled between the tall skyscrapers.

Item #13 A Library - Julia Ideson Library is downtown across from City Hall.  It has some amazing architectural elements.  It has just been restored and currently houses historical books.  Some rooms can be rented for events.  I was lucky to be invited to a Christmas party held on the second floor.  It is an old grand lady and the interior is gorgeous.

Item #8 An Angel

Item #11 A Shadow  A wrought iron room divider I have in back of sheer white drapes in my living room.

Item #14 A person playing with a ball.  Took this picture from television, Sunday Football on Fox Sports, Dallas Cowboys vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Item #15 Someone dancing.  Don't know any of these youngster but they sure put on a good show.  

  

Endeavour leaves Houston

This morning the radio announcer reported the 747 giving the Space Shuttle Endeavour a ride to LA had left Elllington Field.  My son and I talked about how we missed seeing it fly by Houston's sky .  I dropped my son off at school and started driving toward the freeway.  From the corner of my left eye, I got a glimpse of it.   Thank God for the long red light and my handy phone camera.   Not a very good picture, the clouds did not help, but it was an awesome sight.

When I got to work my son posted his sighting of the same space ship from the second floor balcony at school.  

Later in the day I got a facebook post from the Houston Chronicle.  The 747 had made a stop at Ellington Field overnight to refuel.  

My son's friend, (K-DOG), drove out to Ellington Field and got a really cool night photo.

It was big news in Houston to see the Endeavour.  On a more personal note, it meant a lot to me as it reminded me of my Uncle Pete who worked for the space program when NASA first started until his retirement. Rest in Peace Uncle Pete and thank you for all you did  for us to be able to see this AWESOME  sight.

Endeavour piggie back ride by Houston

Isn't this awesome?

The Space Shuttle Endeavour made a piggie back fly by Houston's sky yesterday.  I was not lucky enough  to see it.  My cousin on the other hand was luck to get a really good picture from her work place. 

It spent the night at Ellington Field for the 747 to refuel before its final destination of Los Angeles.

New Sax

I had a lot of fun tricking my family on facebook about my 17 year old son's new baby being delivered soon.  They called asking all sorts of questions. I just kept on with the practical joke all week.   Read on and you will understand.  I hope my family will forgive me for tricking them.  

After a long weekend waiting for my sons new baby, it was finally delivered on Tuesday evening by UPS. My son acted like a father waiting for his first child to be born.  He kept pacing up and down the hallway and looking out the front door.  He would ask questions like "What time does the UPS truck stop delivering?" and "Does the UPS deliver on Sunday?".  He also tracked his baby on the UPS Website.  Once it got into the Houston area on Sunday night he asked if we could go pick it up from a warehouse where it was being stored until Monday's delivery.  It was finally delivered on Tuesday evening at 6:12 p.m

Unwrapping her.

Putting her together.

Playing her for the first time.

Lots of pretty buttons.

She is a beauty.  

Putting her to sleep.

2nd Round of Photos for Rinda's 2012 Photo Scavenger Hunt

This is the second summer I participated in my Cousin Rinda's Photo Scavenger Hunt.  Read about it at this link: http://gallorganico.blogspot.com/2012/08/photo-scavenger-hunt-link-up-party.html Here is a second round of some photo's I took for the Photo Scavenger Hunt.

Item # 4   A Roadside Stand.  I pass by this produce vendor every Sunday on the way to church.

 

Item # 18 A Movie Poster.  I love Andy Garcia and highly recommend this movie.  I love historical movies that get my boys asking questions and get their brains working over time.  I warn you though, it is a tear jerker. 

Item #'s  3  and  12    A Border and a Trail.  Guess I am cheating by getting two photo's in this one.  The trail is closed for now , but will get students from the back of the college to the front when it is finished.. 

 

Item #20   A swing hung from a tree.  I drove around several neighborhoods looking for a swing.  Doesn't look to safe.   

 

Mary Queen

A look at some of the stained glass windows at Mary Queen Catholic Church in Friendswood. 

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Friday Night Lights and the Night the Music Died

So it starts - High School Football

and with it comes Cheerleading

and Marching Band

only this year the music dies.  

TAPPS has passed new rules that limits the band from playing while the ball is in play or when a player is injured.  Therefore, the band can only play before kickoff, at half time, when there is a touchdown and when the teams exchange possession of the ball.  If the band violates these rules, the football team will automatically lose the game. 

The Band was given these rules right before the first game on Friday.  It was the night the music died.  It was the most quite football game I have been to.  In the fourth quarter the band started playing music by stomping their feet on the bleachers and singing.  It sounded louder than if the band had played.  It certainly got the crowd excited and cheering for the band.   You know how musicians are, they will find a way to play with or without an instrument.  Saint Pius X won their first game on Friday and on Thursday, 9-6-12 ESPN-U will televise the game.  Hopefully, you will get a glimpse of my son Mathew playing the Tenor Sax.

Are you planning on going to any High School games this year and is the school band being limited in their play time?

Rinda's Scavenger Hunt 2012

Here are a few pics I have taken for Rinda's 2012 Photo Scavenger Hunt.  

#16 A Bride.  At the age of 61 and after twenty years of living together and three children, my cousin decided to get married by church.  

#7 A person playing a musical instrument.  This is my son Mathew playing his new tenor sax.  

#21 A picture of me standing by something that symbolizes my nation.  Who else can say they picked George Washington's nose.  Ha Ha

#2 A Clothesline taken a few blocks from my house.  Those sheets look refreshing.

#9 A Fountain in Downtown Houston

#19 An Outdoor Stairway  This once was a school.   I remember going down these stairs during a fire drill.

#10 A Horse   The community petitioned to have this bronze statue removed from Moody Park.  No, you are not drunk or color blind.   It is a  pistol toting vaquero riding a purple horse.

Musical Summer

I am so proud of my two boys and their musical talents.  John plays guitar and drums and Mathew plays piano and sax.  My husband also plays a little bass. Me - well I drive them to their gigs.

This was a very musical summer.  My youngest son, Mathew, joined the Summer Jazz Workshop at Texas Southern University.  This is his second summer in the five week jazz workshop.  At the end of each week they traveled to various locations and performed.  They have played at an HEB store,  Aldine Youth Community Center, Clarewood House Retirment Center and performed at the Wortham Theater for the Mayor and Council members of the City of Houston to kick off the International Jazz Festival.

As if that were not enough, my two boys also volunteered to play in the Pit Band for the Upstage Theater in the Heights.  The musical performance of "Happy Day" ran every weekend in July.

Happy Days the Musical

There's more....

Mathew also had  band camp for two weeks right before school started.  You would think Mathew would be tired of blowing his sax.  Seems like he never gets enough enjoyment of all that brass.  He comes home from camp and practices for another three hours before going to bed.

Still more....

Every Sunday the boys play at the Teen Life Mass at St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church.

I am often asked how do I make them practice, truth is I do not make them practice, they practice on their own.  They love playing just as much as I love hearing them play.

Can't wait to see what is in store this year for Mathew in his senior year at St. Pius X and John's second semester at Houston Community College. Love all my three boys.

Happy Mail

If you're like me, you go home from work and check the mail.  It's always the same, bills and junk mail.  Every once in a while you  receive something different.  You get excited and can't wait to open it.  Even your family gathers around to see you open the package.  You feel like a child at Christmas opening your gifts and can't open the package from all the tape.  One child asks "What is it?" another one asks "Mom do you need the scissors."  You're concentrating on opening the package that you don't answer.

I was thrilled to receive two packages this week.

Stamps and a Card from my dear cousin Rinda in California

A card, teal koozie and the cutiest little business tag with her pet turtle (Rex) from my dear blog friend Deb in Arizona

This rainbow was spotted over Houston, TX.

Thank you Deb and Rinda for making me feel like I received the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

 Don't you just love to receive happy mail?

Altered Wine Bottles

This altered bottle with a rub on snow diva will brighten any room.

         SOLD

Snow Buddy Shakers



Snow Buddy Salt Shakers

 I've been celebrating Christmas in July by making a few Snow Buddy Shakers.  These cuties are made with a salt shaker, styrofoam ball, a polymer clay nose and than decorated for the Holidays.  Each is filled with beads, confetti, glitter, faux snow and a small silver heart.  When you shake and twirl it you can hear and feel the Spirit of the Season.  How about you, are you celebrating Christmas in July?

Scrap Glass Garden Art

 Lately I have been in an artistic rut.  So I decided to take a Scrap Glass Garden Art class at Harmony Stained Glass Shop in Pasadena, Texas.  I joined the class not really knowing what we were going to make as there was no picture of this Garden Art before I signed up for the class, but I figured it was a way to use some of my scrap glass.  As always the place was clean and the people were friendly. The instructions were clear but the instructor was not around enough to give much help.  She only came to see my project once and only told me that it looked good and to keep up the good work.  In fact the owner of the shop was more helpful than the instructor.  I had no problem with constructing my art piece just that it was time consuming for a project this big and I had to bring it home to finish.   In fact, if I had seen the picture of the instructors piece, I probably would not have taken the class, as I have made something similar to this before.  The only difference is that these are on metal stakes so that the piece can be set on the ground instead of hanging. 

Because I could not get a good picture of this garden piece, I took a picture of both sides.  I don't like how the pale colored glass is too faded out.  Next piece I will make using opaque glass. 

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St. Iggy's Stained Glass

Every Sunday we drive 45 minutes to St Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church for the Teen Life Mass. Here is the outside of the church.

My two boys play in the Teen Life Band and Hubby works sound for them I
always sit with Hubby in the sound booth. Here is the view from the booth.

It is not your old style church with stained glass windows all around. In fact, there is a 
small stained glass panel of Our Lady of Guadalupe that hangs just outside the main church 

and a large stained glass window installed in the small chapel.  The door to the chapel was  locked and I had to take the picture from behind a glass wall. 

Being a stained glass artist I hate not seeing the beautiful cathedral glass depicting religious scenes with thousands of pieces of colorful glass.  It certainly is different from the old church I went to as a child.  I sure do miss looking up at those beautiful windows.  LOL


Does your place of worship or home have any stained  glass?  If so I would love to see some pictures.  Will you post them on your blog?

Eleven Fun Things About Me

Hubby & I visited with Mickey Mouse

A Blog Friend tagged me to play.   Here are eleven fun things about me. 

I will not tag anyone in particular, but if you would like to play, 

post eleven fun things about yourself on your blog.

1.  I love to go out dancing at the club with hubby
2.  On New Years Eve I was breakdancing with my little nephews.  (Okay so maybe 
theTequila Shots had something to do with it.)
3.  I have some old Barbie Dolls in the attic with no clothes. (Hope the Barbie 
Police doesn't read this.)
4.  I bought a Hello Kitty video for my niece and I want to open and watch it 
before I give it to her because I have never seen Hello Kitty.
5.  I stay up late at night reading blogs with a glass of Moscato then I don't 
want to get up to go to work.
6.  I want to buy myself a pair of animal print boots.  (roar)
7.  I have two teenage boys who say I can get crazy sometimes.
8.  My boys are so funny, I love driving them around cause we are always joking 
and laughing in my green monster van.
9.  Since I don't have any daughters, I love to go shopping with my nieces.
10.  I have been known to pick up trash people throw out to the curb.  Refurbish 
and than sale it at craft shows. 
11.  I'm sexy and I know it.

Road Trip

Traveling with my husband by car from Texas to Florida reminded me of family 
vacations as a child.  We always drove to Saltillo, Mexico to visit family.  One 
year my parents were brave enough to take their family of eight children on a 
vacation from Texas to California to visit family in La Habra California.  I was 
around thirteen years old with three older teen brothers, an eleven year old sister and 
three younger brothers.  My youngest brother was around  five years old.  The 
family station wagon was packed with bodies so all the luggage had to be stored 
on top of the station wagon roof.   Mom always packed sandwiches and a Tupperware pitcher of 
Kool-aide for these road trips.  I remember making a pit stop at a Dairy Queen 
where we convinced dad to buy us hamburgers.  Remember those teenage brothers I 
mentioned earlier.  They were growing boys who played sports and could put some 
food away.  I will never forget the cashiers face when dad placed the order for 
ten hamburgers,  four with  double cheese double meat.  LOL, Did  I mention, 
they were short handed that day, so the manager had to work as the cashier and cook.

I enjoyed those road trips and have fond memories, however, it was always nice to 
get back home to Texas.

Awesome to see the  Lone Star entering Texas Country.

Nice to be Home.

Disney Trip

Yeah! All the band fund raising has finally paid off.  The Saint Pius X  Concert

and Jazz Band had the honor of performing at Epcot in Disney World in Orlando, 
Florida this weekend. The Flag Corp and Marching Band also marched down Main 
Street in the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. 

Irene, Mickey & Juan

My two sons flew with the band while my husband and I drove for two days to see 

my son perform. We drove from Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and 

down the Florida panhandle. We are so proud of my son and all the Saint Pius X 

Band and Flag Corp.  This trip was well worth the drive and I would do it again 

tomorrow to see my sons perform.  So far this is the longest distance we have 

gone to see our kids perform.  Question - What is the longest distance you have

gone to see your child perform?